by Barry Hastings

Call me Jeremiah. . ., ’cause I’m skeptical about the past, the present and the future.

The past because I suspect our national intelligence, military, and political institutions have been hiding, with-holding, and manufacturing information about dangerous world situations we’ve faced since well before Ed Snowden was born. We know the whole slaughter inflicted on the Vietnamese from the mid-fifties through 1975 (two, to two-and-one-half million of ’em), was all based on lies and red-scare paranoia; so how much more?

While we forced the Brits to give up their ’empire’ following WWII, we went into Vietnam to help the French hold on to theirs. Cost us, in the end, half-a-million casualties – 60,000 of ’em dead – many of the rest most horribly wounded and maimed. Yet we sat back, for years, watching as the real, cruel, scarey, Bear gobbled up nation after nation, killing anyone who got in the way (just as we’re watching now in Ukraine, the Baltic states, other former Soviet client states). Definitely not my father’s USA. (Sometimes I feel our cold-war victory came without enough sacrifice. We only bled where national leadership screwed-up. And now, the beast is resurrected.)

Earlier (WWII) we condemned Germany, Italy, and Japan for bombing civilian targets in Rotterdam (Netherlands), Abyssinia (then Ethiopia), and China. Yet those assaults (horrible as they were) were as a firefly trying to outshine the sun compared with what we did to Cologne and Berlin, Tokyo and (many) other Japanese cities – including two nukes on Japan when they were already in ashes and held-up only by the “ropes.” The looming threat of up to two million allied invasion casualties, based on much combat-invasion experience re-crossing-regaining control in the Pacific, doomed Japan. The “bomb” saved many a soldier’s life.

I’m not saying they didn’t get what they asked for. Our war strategy indicated we considered Germany most dangerous, and I like to believe that had Germany not collapsed three months earlier than Japan, we’d have used it on Germany first. Instead, the Japanese, short, buck-toothed, and near-sighted (as we visualized them) orientals became first victims of atomic energy (but most certainly not the last). It could be, however, their race was a factor. . .  and, of course, Pearl Harbor.

For Germany, at any rate, we made up for it with a quadrillion tons of TNT, and several million very tough G.I.’s (getting angrier daily, as long-hidden secrets of the Reich were exposed). Very, very many of them died. And for far less, in the long run, than their courageous effort, quickly accomplished goals, and real, mass, heroic self-sacrifice deserved.

Ohhh, well. As Mark Twain observed, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme.”

White Americans (to shift up a gear) have long been known for a certain “iffiness” as to whether or not people people are created equal. The “iffiness,” at least the “iffiest” part of it, has often erupted in violence. We’ve killed, attacked, driven off just about everyone we met on this continent – the indigenous natives (East to West, North to South), Mexicans (several times, and stole a third of their nation, to boot). Our greetings to new arrivals have been somewhat less than warm, as well. The casinos are Montezuma’s real revenge. And Arizona, Texas, Okeyhoma, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, another ‘M’ state, and – oh, yeah, Okiana, are Santa Anna’s.

It was only in the early 20^th century government, the courts, a better off and better educated society, began getting a grip on our violent national xenophobic persona. But it’s not the kind of thing you can eliminate, as a look at the news any time of any day will convince anyone. Violence has a deeply imbedded grip on mankind older than the oldest other thing we know. A large number of early human and pre-human remains carry dents in skulls perfectly matching antelope thighbones or heavy clubs.

I’m not big on second chances for violent criminals. With more than 2,000,000 people in prisons, they’ve become graduate universities in crime and violence. We’ve got to get salvageable nonviolent offenders into work-release, semi-court supervised jobs, with earned privilege programs and income. Our cities are really out of control with shooting incidents – shades of Capone and Frank Nitti. An interesting number to know would be the dollar amount paid by insurers for never recovered stolen firearms.

Speaking of criminals, how about our state legislators? Too cowardly to take action necessary to repair roads and highways for years, they’re now passing off responsibility to the electorate. I hope Michiganders (or Michiganians, as you wish) will reject this attempt to clear politicians of responsibility for what we’re dealing with on the road every day, and for any shortcomings in their non-plan.

Vote no on this act of government cowardice and abandonment of duty. They ran for office claiming they’d get things done. They haven’t done so, probably won’t, but find plenty of time to eliminate equal rights opportunities for LGBT citizens, and to gerrymander legislative and senatorial districts so Democrats will be consigned to a minute minority in state government – forever.

Be like them – say no, NO, NO, to Proposal One on May 5. Thank you very much, thank you very, very much – thank you very, very, very much. They begged and promised to obtain elective office, make them meet the responsibility they sought.